Part 5
The turtle's lair…
Raphael sat in what was probably the most uncomfortable chair ever to have been invented, or so he thought anyway. Despite the discomfort he was in he wouldn't have left for anything. Every few hours Don would try and persuade him to get some sleep, but Raph would wave him off. This was where he had to be, where he wanted to be. Elizabeth lay on the bed; her chest rose and fell with each breath. She had not woken up once, but Don had assured him that it was more due to the fact that she probably needed the sleep than anything else. Don came over and examined her like he had done every two hours for the last nine hours.
"Hmm," Don muttered.
"What's wrong?" Raphael asked worriedly.
"What…? Oh, nothing. Just her temperature is a little higher than it should be. She's starting to heal, it's normal," Don told him as he sat down behind his desk again. Raph nodded once, and squeezed her hand a little. He was surprised when she gave a small squeeze back. She blinked a number of times and then focused on him.
"She's awake," Raph told Don. Don hurried over and started another check on her.
"How are you feeling, Lizzie?"
"…Hurts…" she rasped.
"I know, I've given you something for the pain," Don said. He didn't tell her that he had given her as much as he could for now.
"Water?"
"Of course, there's a jug and a cup there, Raph," Don pointed to the nightstand. Then he went back to his work, letting father and daughter have a little privacy. Raph filled the cup and helped her sit up a little so she could drink; he didn't miss the grimace of pain on her face as he did so. She started to gulp down the cool liquid and almost instantly started to cough.
"Not so fast," Raph pulled the cup away.
"Thirsty," she tried to grab the cup but he set it down on the nightstand and settled her back on the pillows.
"You should probably get some more rest," Don said.
"No…tired," she said. Raph tucked the blanket in around her.
"Don's right. I'll be right here when you wake up, I promise," he told her. She nodded lazily already she was falling asleep. He watched her sleeping.
A few years before…
"What ya mean?" Raph asked after he allowed a six-year-old Elizabeth to give him a hug. He followed April and Casey into the kitchen.
"Just what April said, Raph. She got inta a fight with another kid at the park," Casey explained.
"What kinda fight? What'd the other kid do ta her?" He snapped.
"Nothing, all he did was take one of the new toys I got her and she managed to kick him and punch him once before Casey got to her," April said.
"His mother had to take him to the hospital for a few stitches,"
"Well then the kid probably deserved it," Raph said. Casey glanced at April who sighed.
"Don't you get it Raph? She hit him hard enough that he had to go to the hospital and now she thinks that there's nothing wrong with what she did. Where do you suppose she got that from?" April asked.
"If I knew that I wouldn't be askin," he said.
"You're askin the wrong people that question, Raph," Casey told him. Raphael let out a growl as he stared at both of his friends.
"Yer right, listen thanks for takin her to the park; she's been askin me for ages. I'll sort this out, it won't happen again," he said.
"See ya later, bro," Casey said. He and April left the lair and Raphael stayed in the kitchen for a moment longer, letting himself cool off a bit first. He went to the door of the kitchen.
"Lizzie, come here," he said. Elizabeth glanced at Mikey, who smiled comfortingly at her and then nodded towards the kitchen.
"You got into a fight?" Raph asked as soon as she came in. She looked confused as she shook her head.
"That's not what Casey and April told me," he waited with a patience that he usually didn't have.
"Not fight…Uncle Mikey-" she was cut ff.
"Don't bring your Uncle into this, he wasn't even there!" he snapped harshly.
"N-no," she stuttered, Raph could see she was getting nervous and he regretted his tone, but he couldn't change that now.
"You an' Uncle Mikey fight…but never hurts," she stared up at him earnestly.
"Didn't hurts him…"
"He had ta go ta the hospital, which means that ya hurt him real bad," he told her.
"No," she mumbled and he could see the tears in her eyes, she was confused that he was angry at her she hadn't done anything wrong.
"Yeah, ya did."
"No…" she took a deep breath.
"You and Uncle Mikey hits all the time and he no have hurts. I just do what you do, not hurts him just wants my things," she wailed. Raphael froze about to say something and closed his eyes briefly. Now he knew what April meant when she had asked whom she had gotten it from.
"Doin same you do," she said.
"Yeah, I know," he said. She wiped the back of her hand across her nose and stared up at him fearfully, not knowing what she had done wrong. He grabbed some kitchen towel and crouched in front of her, he pulled her hand away from her face and gently wiped her eyes with the tissue.
"Look, I didn't mean ta snap at ya, baby," he said.
"Angry," she sniffled.
"No, I'm not angry at you," he told her. Angry at himself maybe, he should have known that this would happen, him and Mikey were always fooling around, of course he and Mikey were trained ninja so they knew how to roll with the punches. Which gave Raph an idea; he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the dojo.
"You've been in here before. It's where Master Splinter trains us to be ninja," he said as he set her down on the floor in front of him. Leo stopped the katas he had been doing and came over.
"Raph, what are you doing bringing Lizzie in here?" He asked. Raph put both his hands on his daughters' shoulders.
"I think it's about time that she started her training ta be a ninja," he said.
"Raph, she's just a kid," Leo said.
"Yeah, and how old were we when Master Splinter started training us?" Raph asked him, one eye ridge raised. He went over to the weapon rack and took two small wooden swords and gave them to her she promptly dropped them. Raph chuckled and picked them up for her.
"I know how you feel, but try to hold on to them," he told her. She blushed a little and mumbled something.
"What was that, baby? I didn't hear ya," Raph asked.
"Not hold them to small, keep falling," she said. Raph cursed himself, having forgotten that she couldn't hold onto anything to small.
"Oh, sorry…hmm let's see," he put the swords back and picked up the bo stick that Don had used when he was much smaller. This she gripped in both her hands and grinned up at him.
"Good, I gotta talk ta yer Uncle Leo fer a while, ok?" He asked. She nodded and started to test the weight of the bo stick in her hands, trying to remember how her Uncle Donnie did it.
"What's up, Raph?" Leo asked his brother as soon as they were a few feet away from the little girl.
"I dunno…I always knew that keepin her here would be hard, I just never thought that…" Raph broke off shaking his head slightly.
"Casey and April just brought her back, she punched another kid causing the him ta have ta be brought to the hospital for stitches,"
"So you decided that instead of letting her punch kids you were going to teach her to be a professional ninja so she could do it properly? Great thinking, Raph," Leo said sarcastically.
"No," Raph sighed.
"She told me that she did it 'cause she'd seen me and Mikey fighting and we never get hurt. She learned ta do that from watching what I did. I kinda figured that if she learned ninjitsu then maybe she could learn how to control herself if another situation like that came up again."
"Yeah, like that's worked really well for you, right?" Leo smirked at him. Raphael glared back.
"Relax, I'm kidding, bro. Actually I think that's a good idea, it could work," Leonardo had started taking over much of their training as Splinter got older, so it was a good sign that he agreed with Raph's plan.
"Let me train her though,"
"But-" Raphael started.
"No arguments. The reason as to why she ended up here in the first place should tell you that training her yourself really isn't a good idea."
"Yeah, I guess yer right," Raphael said.
"Well we might as well start with her training now. See you later, Raph," Leo said pointedly.
"And by the way, Raph, you might want to watch your language around her as well," he added as Raph was leaving.
"What me-?"
"Shit!" As if on cue the little girl snapped the word as she dropped the bo stick on the floor. Leo just raised an eye ridge at his brother and grinned.
The infirmary, normal time again…
Raph smiled a little at the memory, if only this problem could be solved by a trip to the dojo.
Her eyes moved under her eyelids. She was having nightmares, Raph could tell that.
"Wake up, baby, yer havin another nightmare," he said as gently shook her.
"Sorry…" she mumbled sleepily.
"Ya don't need ta apologize, s'okay," he murmured. She nodded once and went back to sleep. After making Raph promise to call him if he was needed Don had long since headed for his own room to catch a few hours of rest. Raph was on his own with his daughter. So far she hadn't spoken much, if at all. He watched her for another few minutes in silence.
"Ya ain't sleepin," he said. She opened her eyes slowly, looked at him and then turned her head to stare at the wall.
"Look…" he paused for a moment.
"I know yer thinkin that I don't understand, and yer probably right. All I know is that if ya need to talk I'll listen to ya," he sounded lame even to himself. She continued to stare at the wall, as if he hadn't said anything.
"Come on, Lizzie. What they did to ya was bad. I know yer hurtin'," he clenched his fists; he knew he was pushing her and maybe she wasn't ready yet.
" 'm tired," she muttered and promptly closed her eyes.
"Come, my son, it is time for you to practice," Splinter came into the infirmary with Leo.
"What about, Lizzie?" Raph asked.
"Leo, will sit with her for a while," Splinter informed him.
"I'll come get you if your needed, bro," Leo told him. Raphael took one last look at Elizabeth and then at Leo making sure that his brother understood. He stood up and followed Splinter to the dojo. Leo took the empty seat. He heard Elizabeth give a long sigh and she opened her eyes to look at him.
"Never leave him," she said quietly.
"You don't want your father here?" He asked, slightly confused.
"No…yes, but…" Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out a way to explain what she meant.
"He say too much…" she blew an annoyed breath out.
"Want me to talk and I don't…can't," she made a sound of frustration and stopped talking, but Leo thought he knew what she meant.
"He's just trying to help. Maybe he isn't doing it the right way because he doesn't understand," he said.
"Yes, how make him know?" She stared at the wall behind him.
"Talk to him…or me, I mean if you want to talk to me," he said.
"Scared…" she looked at him again and he could see the fear in her eyes.
"How…how to say it, not know,"
"Tell him how you're feeling, just because you think he doesn't understand doesn't mean that he doesn't want to help you. But how can he help you if he doesn't know what's going on with you." He said. She had never been one to talk, he knew that and of all of them Leo thought that he was the last one that she would turn to.
The dojo…
"You are still angry," Splinter said. To Raph it sounded more like a statement than a question.
"She won't talk to me. How can I make her understand that I'm there for her?" He asked in frustration.
"She knows. Tell me one thing, Raphael. If it had been you that this had happened to would you be so eager and willing to talk about it?" Splinter asked calmly.
"I see yer point, it don't make me feel any better," he glared up at the ceiling for a moment and then at Splinter.
"I can see the pain in her eyes every time that she looks at me, I want so badly to take that pain away…make it my own, y'know?"
"Yes, that is what makes you a good father. You want to take her pain and fear away so that she will no longer suffer. But you cannot, all you can do is be with her." Splinter said.
"Ya keep saying that,"
"If you would listen to me then I would not keep having to say it," Splinter said gently.
"What you fail to realize, Raphael is that you are so caught up in what you could have done, you cannot change what could have been anymore than you can change the color of the sky. Stop trying and you will see what needs to be done,"
"As usual you are right, Master Splinter…thank you," Raph bowed to his father.
"Now I got to go back there,"
"No, it is time for us to train," Splinter said.
The infirmary…
Don came in to check on her and sent Leo out for a moment so that he could change the dressings on her injuries. She stiffened when he went to change the ones between her legs, but trusted him enough to know that he wouldn't be doing it unless he had to. Only when he was done did he allow Leo back in.
"I'll be back later," Don said.
"Can't wait," Elizabeth muttered.
"Lizzie," Leo said once, warningly.
"It's okay, Leo. I think I know what she means. Don't worry; you can leave the infirmary in a day or two." Don said.
"Well I have to go practice now. I'll see you later, Lizzie," Leo said. Don sat down next to her bed.
"No work?" She asked him.
"Not right now," he replied. Work could wake, what was most important right now was that she was okay.
"Besides I have something to read," he held up a book.
"Now get some sleep,"
"Ok," she was pretty tired anyway. Don watched her drift off.
A few years earlier…
"Arm hurts," the little girl said. She stood in the doorway of the infirmary.
"Well come on in and let me take a look," Don said. He lifted her up on the bed, and started out with looking over her hand and wrist.
"Where does it hurt exactly?"
"Here," she touched her shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers.
"Ah…so it hurts everywhere," he said lightly.
"Ya," she mumbled as he swiveled her arm around. She winced when he brought her arm up to shoulder level.
"Okay let's take a better look," he brought her over to the x-ray machine and told her to hold her arm out as he took x-rays. When they were ready he looked them over thoroughly, his brow knotted in concentration.
"Wrong, Uncle Donnie?" She asked.
"Hmm…oh nothing. Can you go get your daddy for me?" He asked.
"Ok," she nodded and left to get her father.
"Mikey!" Don said sharply.
"It wasn't me!" Mikey said defensively.
"I'm sure," Don said sarcastically.
"I need you to keep Elizabeth busy for a while; I need to talk to Raph about something,"
"What is she okay?" Mikey asked in concern.
"I'm not sure yet," Don said.
"Well you know you can count on me, I am her favorite uncle after all," Mikey said.
"No, Leo," Elizabeth said from behind him. Don snickered slightly at the look on Mikey's face.
"What'sa matter, Don?" Raph asked. Don looked at Mikey meaningfully.
"Hey, Busy Lizzie why don't you and me go play that new game you got?" Mikey suggested. She looked curiously at Don and then shrugged one shoulder.
"Ok," she said. Don waited until the two were gone.
"Take a look at these," he brought Raph over to the wall that he had set up for the x-rays. Raph looked at them and then turned to Don.
"And this is supposed ta' mean something ta me?" He asked.
"It's Elizabeth's arm. She came in a while ago complaining that it was hurting." Don said.
"Yeah, she's been saying that ta me for a few days, I told her that it would stop soon," Raph said, not quite sure where this was going.
"It's a little more serious than that, Raph," Don turned off the light behind the x-rays.
"Serious?" Now Raph was a little worried.
"Yes, you know how her arm is made of metal?" At Raph's nod he continued.
"Well she's growing, that means her bones are growing. Her arm isn't though and that's what's troubling me. I think I'm going to have to do an operation and replace the metal in her arm with more metal,"
"Isn't there any other way?" Raph asked.
"I don't think so. What I'm worried about is how do I get her to do this without her panicking, especially after what the Shredder did to her." Don shrugged.
"Yeah, but she's going to have to unless she wants to continue living with that pain and I don't want her doing that either," Raph was already trying to think of a way to do this without Elizabeth freaking out.
The infirmary, normal time again…
She had trusted him then, just as she trusted him now. He knew her injuries were bad, but over time they would heal. It was the mental healing he was worried about; as he was sure everyone else was. But he could do nothing else for her right now, he picked up his book and started reading.
A few hours later…
"Hey Donny, wake up," Mikey said.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Don asked sleepily.
"Nothing," Mikey chuckled.
"You just fell asleep; I think it's time you went to bed yourself."
"Yeah, thanks, Mikey," Don said sheepishly. Before he left he hooked up another IV of fluid.
"I'll be back later,"
"Don't sweat it, I got you covered, bro," Mikey told him. Mikey turned on his gameboy, but instead of playing it he watched Elizabeth.
A few years earlier…
"…And you press these ones to jump and kick," Mikey explained to his young niece. She nodded once and clutched the gamepad.
"Ok the object of the game is to-"
"Beat," she finished for him.
"Yeah," He took a seat next to her on the battered sofa. Mikey had beaten everyone else in the lair that would play him, which meant that he had beaten Raph every time. Now he was picking on the newest member of the family. He was after all the gaming champion and he was going to enjoy every minutes of it.
A few minutes later he was staring at her in shock.
"You beat me," he said in a stunned voice.
"Supposed to," she said.
"Beginners luck, let's have a rematch," Mikey huffed, unwilling to let himself be beaten by anyone.
" 'K," she said. And once again she beat him.
"Ok, that's it!" Mikey was not happy. No one had ever beaten him before and he was not about to let it happen now.
"Once more," he said. He knew he could beat her.
"I dunno, seems ta me like she kicked yer ass real good, Mikey," Raph said. Mikey and Beta II turned to look at him.
"Yeah, but I'm warmed up now," Mikey protested.
"Whatever ya say," Raph smirked at him. He looked at Don as the purple masked turtle came out of his lab.
"What do ya say, Donnie? A little wager on who wins this round. My money's on the kid,"
"Which kid?" Don asked jokingly.
"The cute one," Raph patted Beta II on the shoulder as he said it.
"You get the funny lookin' one,"
"And proud of it!" Mikey said.
"Aww man not again!"
"Pay up, Donnie," Raph said.
"Here you go. You owe me, Mikey," Don told his youngest brother. Raph picked Beta II up and hugged her tight.
"Good goin my little money maker," he told her.
"Yeah, you gonna sell her on the market now, Raph?" Mikey joked. Beta II's eyes widened as she stared at Raph, he grinned back at her reassuringly.
"Nah, I say we sell you instead. How much ya think they'd pay for a mutant turtle?" Raph said.
"Hardy-de-har-har, you're so funny, Raph," Mike said sarcastically.
"So I've been told, now you gonna behave or am I gonna have to sick the little one on you again?" Raph asked, setting Beta II down.
"Ah, that's ok, honey, you can beat me anytime you want to," Mikey grinned at her.
The infirmary, normal time again…
"You'd better get well soon, I got no one who can beat me," Mikey said half jokingly, half serious.
"Bring here," she mumbled.
"AHHH!" Mikey slapped a hand to his plastron.
"Oh, my heart, you trying to kill me?"
"No," she looked at him confused, not knowing that he was kidding.
"Where Dad?"
"He's sleeping right now, I think. You want me to go get him for you?" He asked.
"No," she shook her head. She knew her father and through all this he probably wasn't getting a lot of sleep. Yeah, she wanted him, but she didn't want him suffering because of it.
"Go grab some food, Mikey," Leo came into the room.
"You didn't cook it did you?" Mikey asked suspiciously. Leo laughed a little at that, it was well known to everyone that he wasn't the greatest of cooks.
"No, you get cereal this morning," Leo told him.
"Food?" Elizabeth asked Leo.
"Don said no solid food for a while," Leo said apologetically. She sighed loudly at the same time her stomach grumbled.
"I know you're hungry, but it really is for your own good," Leo told her, as he sat down.
"Say to tummy," she said.
"You're worse than Mikey," He held up a book.
"You want me to read to you?"
"No baby," she complained.
"I know you aren't, it's actually a book about martial arts weapons that I'm reading and I just got to the part about bo sticks; I thought you might be interested." He was rewarded with a tiny smile and he knew she wanted him to read to her. As he started reading he thought back…
A few years earlier…
"Leo?" The small girl interrupted Leonardo's meditation.
"What is it?" He asked. He knew that there was something on her mind, whether she would say anything or not he didn't know.
"Rafyell say Santa Claus Christmas" she looked up at him.
"Ah…he was talking about Santa Claus and Christmas but Raph didn't tell you what it was all about?" Leo asked.
"Yes…no," she nodded. He gestured for her to join him on the mat.
"It's a long story, but I will tell it to you," he smiled at her.
"A woman called Mary had come a long way and while she was in a town she knew that she was going to have a baby. She and her husband Joseph looked in many places for a place to stay that night, but there were no rooms for them. She had to go to a barn and she had her baby in there. She named her baby Jesus. He came here to teach people about his father God. Christmas is the time when we celebrate his birthday," he wasn't sure if she'd understand what he was talking about, but she was still listening.
"And Santa Clause, well he's a very special man. His real name is Nicholas and he brings presents to little boys and girls on Jesus' birthday,"
"Oh…present me?" She asked.
"Yes, he'll bring you nice presents on Christmas," Leo replied. She stood up, apparently having got the answer that she understood.
The infirmary, normal time…
If only every answer were so simple. Leo hoped that she wouldn't ask him why they had done this to her, because he had no answer. He couldn't understand why someone would do this to a child himself, so how could he explain it to her?
"Hey, baby," Raph came in and kissed Elizabeth on the forehead. Leo took that as his cue to leave.
"You seem to be getting lotsa visitors,"
"Yeah, read?" She pointed to the book that Leo had left behind.
"I think you need some sleep," Raph said.
"Always sleep," she complained, but did as he said anyway. Raph watched her.
A few years earlier…
"Sleep…" she mumbled.
"Time ta get up," Raph told the sleeping child.
"No, daddy," she said rubbing her eyes. Raph took a step back as if she had slapped him. She'd called him daddy, but he was sure that it was a mistake on her part.
"What'd ya call me?" He asked. She blinked at him and smiled a little tiny smile.
"Daddy," she replied.
"But I…" Raph paused.
"Who said I was yer daddy?"
"Mikey, he say that daddy in look after children…you daddy," she said. Raph cursed Mikey; of course Elizabeth had probably asked him a question as to what parents were and Mikey had of course blown it out of all proportion.
"I ain't…" he trailed off as her face fell at his words.
"You no want be daddy?" She asked forlornly.
"But Mikey say that daddy do things you do…you daddy," she had an innocent look on her face.
"Yeah, I guess I do, but daddy's are…" human? He thought.
"Good people and I ain't a good person," Raph lied. She frowned at that and touched one gentle hand to his plastron, over his heart.
"Splinner say only here that matter," she said. Raph was stunned, such words coming from the mouth of a child. Would it really be so bad for her to call you daddy? He thought. He recalled a conversation that he had a few days ago with Splinter.
"What is it, my son?" Splinter could tell that something was troubling his son.
"It's Elizabeth, Sensei. I think that…" Raph couldn't finish.
"You are growing closer to her even though you tried not to?" Splinter finished for him.
"Yeah, I'm beginning to think of her as my…daughter," Raph was almost afraid to say the word for fear of what Splinter would say.
"Hmm…afraid not of what I will think, afraid of your own feelings for the child," Splinter always had a way of seeing the real problem. Raph chuckled a little.
"Yeah, I guess I am…"
Now Raph stared at the child who was staring back at him just as earnestly.
"Well…uh…I guess if you wanna call me that ya can," Raph mumbled awkwardly around the lump in his throat. With a small cheer of excitement Elizabeth leaped off the bed and into his arms.
"Ya know what this means?" He asked. She shook her head negatively and so he told her. Teach Mikey to open his big mouth again Raph smirked. He carried her into the kitchen and set her down at one of the chairs near the table and then went to get her some cereal.
"Good morning, Elizabeth," Leonardo said.
"Mornin Uncle Leo," she said. Leo almost choked on his coffee.
"Good morning people," Mikey said.
"Morning Mikey," Raph said and he winked at his daughter.
"Mornin Uncle Mikey," she said.
"What! Who told you to call me that?" Mikey squeaked.
"Daddy," she gestured with her spoon in Raph's direction. Mikey turned to glare at him and Raph just smiled back.
The infirmary, normal time…
You are my daughter, Raph thought. He was in for the long haul and there was no other place he'd rather have been.